Configuration Reference
Registry paths, install commands, and command-line options for WinDirStat 2.x.
By default, WinDirStat keeps preferences inside your Windows user profile. Switch to portable mode by placing an .ini next to the executable, and settings will bypass the registry entirely. The snippets below help with documentation, deployment scripts, and diagnostics.
User-specific registry keys
Regular installations save interface and scan preferences under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\WinDirStat. The application can wipe this subtree when you elect to clear saved settings on restart.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\WinDirStatFramework profile subkey
The underlying framework sometimes writes extra profile data to a nested path like the one below, as noted in the upstream source for registry-backed profile support.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\WinDirStat\WinDirStat\Portable settings via INI file
When WinDirStat.ini sits in the same folder as WinDirStat.exe, the program reads from and writes to that file, ignoring the registry paths above.
<folder containing WinDirStat.exe>\WinDirStat.iniMatching Explorer highlight colors
To align compressed and encrypted item colors with File Explorer, WinDirStat reads optional binary values such as AltColor and AltEncryptionColor from the current-user Explorer key. It never modifies these system-wide values.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
Value names (examples): AltColor, AltEncryptionColor (REG_BINARY, when present)Install via package managers
Run these one-liners to install or upgrade WinDirStat through community package indexes. The package manager itself handles registration; the site only provides the commands.
winget install -e --id WinDirStat.WinDirStat
winget upgrade --id WinDirStat.WinDirStatscoop bucket add extras
scoop install extras/windirstatCLI flags for WinDirStat.exe
Available flags cover CSV export, reloading a previous CSV snapshot, and a legacy uninstall helper. Wrap paths in quotes when they contain spaces.
WinDirStat.exe /savetocsv "C:\Reports\scan.csv"
WinDirStat.exe /savedupestocsv "C:\Reports\dupes.csv"
WinDirStat.exe /loadfromcsv "C:\Reports\previous.csv"
WinDirStat.exe /legacyuninstall/legacyuninstall is intended for maintenance of older deployments and performs broad cleanup of install locations, shortcuts, and uninstall-registry entries—use only when you understand the impact.
Resetting all preferences
When you reset preferences inside the app, it can remove the entire HKCU\Software\WinDirStat tree programmatically. In portable mode, the neighboring INI file may also be deleted if present.
reg delete "HKCU\Software\WinDirStat" /fExecute this command only when you intend to purge saved settings manually, and make sure WinDirStat is closed beforehand.